Dark Logic
by Draknal
Summary: The road to hell was paved with good intentions. Robin had found that such a saying had never been truer than in this moment…


**Dark Logic**

Draknal: This idea came to me after playing Fire Emblem: Awakening. I felt the need to share, so here it is.

A/N: Just as a quick author's note, as far as the _end game_ Paralogues go, for the purposes of this story, there is only one, and that is the one that features Walhart. He has been found and recruited all ready. He is one tough SoB, and the game's lore is proof enough of that, so it's actually practical/plausible that he survives his fight with Chrom.

* * *

"W-What have you…? No… why would you squander your birthright?" gasped the Dark Sorcerer Validar, his power leaving his battered body as he collapsed to his knees.

The trio of heroes responsible for the man's demise looked on, weapons at the ready should the servant of Grima attempt anything underhanded.

Their target reached out towards the group's tactician, the shaking limb losing what little strength it contained. "Robin… my son…"

And with that, the master manipulator known as Validar, passed on.

Chrom, Exalt of Ylisse, slowly lowered his blade. "It's finally over."

He offered a smile in the direction of his long time friend, patting him on the shoulder as he passed him. "The dark future has been averted."

The tactician nodded, his snowy white hair displacing slightly as he did so. It was over, but it didn't _feel _like it was truly done with. Surely it couldn't have been so simple as removing his father from the picture. Fate was _never _so kind as that. Little did he know how right he actually was.

"Robin, are you coming?"

The tactician snapped his gaze from the form of his fallen father to Chrom. "I'll be right there. I just need a moment to myself."

The lord nodded in return, understanding that the events up till this moment must have weighed heavily upon his friend's mind. "Very well, take your time."

Returning Falchion to its sheath, the lord made his way to where the other Shepherds were waiting for them. He beckoned for his daughter to follow. The Ylissean princess moved to follow her father, glancing back at the group's tactician momentarily.

The amnesiac knelt by his father's side, sliding the dark tome he had carried away from the corpse, lest the Dark Sorcerer have another trick up his sleeve. This man… he was vile, dark, and evil beyond all doubt, but…

'He was still my father,' frowned the caster. 'I have no memories of him, and his intentions for me were nothing but evil and manipulative, but he's still the reason I exist.'

Flipping the body so it was lying on its back, the snowy-haired tactician laid the man's arms across his chest and closed his now unseeing eyes. When finished, he stood from Validar's side, gazing down at the corpse. "It's more than what you deserve," he muttered. "Goodbye father."

The air began to hum as a flash of magic energy spiked from behind Robin. He turned in time to see a new arrival teleport into the area, its body concealed behind a veil of fell energy.

"And so Validar has fallen," stated the newcomer.

That voice!

The darkness that cloaked the young man fell away, revealing one who could very well pass for Robin's twin, the Grimleal hierophant.

"You!" growled the tactician, hand flashing to his side to draw the blade he kept fastened to his belt.

The dark avatar's eyes lifted from the corpse of Validar to Robin's own gaze. The tactician almost flinched back at the near emotionless visage that bore into him. To see such a dark look worn by his own face was just… wrong.

He could hear hurried footsteps coming up behind him. No doubt the other Shepherds had taken notice of the newcomer and had moved to intervene.

The hierophant extended a hand in their direction. On command, a blue wall of light, not unlike the one produced mere minutes ago by Validar, leapt into existence, cutting off the remaining Shepherds from their friend. Robin would have looked to see if they were okay, but he dare not take his eyes off of the imposter that stood before him.

"I have no interest in them," started the simulacrum. "Only you."

Considering this… _thing, _was a near perfect imitation of him, the tactician didn't find this hard to believe. "And what's so interesting about me? I'm just a tactician."

The copy smirked, amused with his response. "Just a tactician hmm? Indeed, and one with a very important gift."

So this thing knew about his cursed blood. What other knowledge did it possess?

"What are you talking about?" the white-haired original inquired, attempting to feign ignorance.

The dark twin scoffed in annoyance. "Please, don't insult my intelligence. Or perhaps I should say "our" intelligence. After all, we are one in the same. I am well aware of the fact that Grima's blood flows through your veins, just as it does mine."

Robin could feel his knuckles turning white from how hard he was gripping his drawn blade. The same? But… how was that possible? His thoughts were travelling a mile a second.

X-x-X-x-X

"Grah! Damn it!" swore Chrom as Falchion rebounded harmlessly from its strike against the barrier that now impeded his path to his friend. The other members of the Shepherds had also made attempts to pierce the magical obstruction, but to no avail. Even Walhart, the Conqueror himself, had been unable to even so much as cause the wall of energy to ripple.

He moved to continue his assault on the barrier when he was stopped by the voice of the man in question.

"Save your strength boy. It is clear we can not breach this defense."

Dark blue eyes cut over to where the crimson clad warrior stood stoic, hands folded on top of his massive personal axe known as the Wolf Berg. "This imposter has no intention of letting us close. Were his purpose to slay your precious tactician, he would have acted against him by now. Only a fool gives his enemy a chance to prepare if extermination is his intent."

'Blunt as usual,' frowned the navy-haired Exalt. But he was right. If this _thing _had meant to attack Robin, he'd have done so. But even so, that knowledge did nothing to alleviate the feeling of dread that overcame him from seeing the two similar persons isolated together.

X-x-X-x-X

"Put your weapon away. My intent is only to speak with you," offered the Grimleal leader.

Robin relaxed his posture slightly, allowing himself to lower his blade. He refused to allow his lookalike to move any closer to him, however. "Forgive me if I find that hard to believe."

Another grin worked its way onto the copy's visage. "Cautious, I like that. No wonder you've managed to survive this long."

He ignored the remark, focused more on studying the features of his twin. Everything _looked _correct. Same face, same cloak, same body type, hell even the same _voice._ "Who _are_ you?"

The grin faded from the dark avatar's face, replaced by a look of annoyance. "I all ready told you. I am _you_."

"Impossible."

The words had left his mouth before he could think otherwise.

A snowy eyebrow arched in curiosity. "Is that so? Chrom's daughter exists in this world with a duplicate, does she not?"

Duplicate? Wait- but that meant…

"No way… you can't be," muttered the tactician, piecing the parts together. It… it made _sense, _but he didn't _want _it to be true.

"I can see the gears turning in your head. You've figured it out, haven't you? You know that I come from the same future as Lucina." The amused undertone was easy for Robin to pick up on.

"Then the dreams I've been having. Chrom dying… those-"

"Were my memories, yes," cut in the tactician's alternate self. "When I travelled back in time I attempted to merge with you, so that we might become one entity. It failed, resulting in the removal of your memories, and the transfer of mine. What you saw were glimpses of my future."

That explained a great deal. He didn't like it one bit, but he was at least grateful that he was able to use the acquired knowledge to save Chrom's life.

"If you _are _from Lucina's future, why didn't you help to stop the fell dragon after Chrom died? Surely the Shepherds still had a chance with you there," inquired the tactician of this timeline, prodding for information.

The man across from him shook his head, as if being asked a simple question by a child. "I _was _the fell dragon. It can't be reborn without one of its own flesh and blood."

He could feel his mouth hanging open in shock. "You… you willingly became the fell dragon? _Why?! _What justification could you possibly have for that?!"

His copy fixed him with a stony gaze. "You don't get it do you? In my time, there was no Lucina to help us. I never received memories warning me about Validar's attempt to control me. Chrom was dead, and there was nothing I could do to change that. So I accepted the fell dragon's power, and became Grima. And do you know the first thing I did?"

Robin's voice failed him. Instead he shook his head.

"I killed Validar, crushed the fool in an instant. I then took out all my rage and frustration on the Grimleal."

The alternate tactician let out a sigh, turning away from his current self. "I never wanted to kill Chrom. But I couldn't change that. I tried to use the dragon's power as my own. But… something that old, that powerful, its will is… overwhelming. Soon I couldn't tell friend from foe, and I ended up killing many of my former allies."

"And you expect me to believe this; that you took on the power of Grima to help your friends?" asked the cloaked man, eyes narrowed accusingly.

"I expect you to believe whatever you _want _to believe. I'm only telling you the truth. My goal was to curb the dragon's temper and rage, to prevent it from wiping out the human race. Obviously it worked to some degree," retorted his mirror image, pointing an accusatory finger at his counterpart.

Robin shook his head in disgust. "How can you say that? Do you know how many innocents you killed? How many former friends you murdered?"

"And yet Lucina and the other members of her generation that have joined with you now managed to survive, did they not? Were it not for my decision, the fell dragon would have killed _all _humans. There would _be _no survivors!" roared the time traveler.

"But what of the Risen? They still killed just as many as the dragon itself! Are you telling me you had no control over them as well?"

The hierophant shook his head. "Grima has almost no control of the Risen that are not immediately near him. They are merely an engine of destruction that feed off of his energy and rage, doing as they please. Annihilation is their only goal. In the end it did not matter. My will was overwhelmed by that of the dragon's. I became trapped in the darkest corner of its mind, only able to watch and bear witness to the atrocities it committed."

'If this thing is indeed me from the future… I suppose I might be able to understand his reasons for doing what he did. He meant to stop the dragon, to pacify it, but he found himself overwhelmed. But… that doesn't make it right.'

"If what you say is true, why haven't you tried to help us in this time period? It's obvious the dragon doesn't have power over you anymore."

The dark avatar nodded. "No he doesn't. When we passed through the time portal, the dragon's powers were severely weakened, allowing me to take control once more. As for helping you, you received my memories did you not? You knew of Validar's attempt to control you and kill Chrom."

Robin nodded in agreement. "That's true. However, you said you attempted to merge us into one entity. You're the reason I lost my memories in the first place."

His copy shrugged in response, clearly not bothered by it. "And for that I am sorry. I was attempting to merge with you so that you might receive my strength and my memories. I would effectively have ceased to exist. Consider it my penance for allowing what happened in my future to come to pass."

His voice said one thing, but his body language said another. Robin couldn't help but feel conflicted. "Then why were you leading the Grimleal?"

The hierophant scoffed, insulted by the question. "Lead the Grimleal? Hardly. Validar was their leader. I was simply a figurehead, a symbol to be used to gather the other Grimleal behind our father's rule. I had no more power over them than you do over the halidom of Ylisse."

X-x-X-x-X

"Oy! Less talking and more stabbing, yes?" shouted Gregor in an effort to gain the attention of the group's tactician.

When Robin gave no response, it became clear that nothing, not even sound, could penetrate the blue wall of energy that still loomed before the group. Chrom shook his head in annoyance. How convenient that this person would show up now and wish to speak in private with Robin, away from his friends and from any support that he might receive. It didn't sit well with him. It wasn't that he didn't trust his friend, but the fact that he was isolated from his fellow Shepherds only gave him more reason to worry. He glanced around toward the other members of the group.

Walhart stood by, staring on impassively, as he had been since the obstruction was erected. His gaze moved to his daughter, who stood watching the exchange with concern evident in her eyes, along with a great deal of anxiety. Was this what she had feared? Who was she more afraid for at this point, her father or Robin? He took notice of how her hand had strayed to the hilt of her Falchion. Perhaps it gave her strength. Next to her, Morgan stood with obvious anguish flashing across her face. The aspiring tactician was worried for the safety of her father no doubt.

Flavia and Basilio stood by, their expressions unreadable as they took in the scene before them. Tharja had a tome hugged to her chest as she looked back and forth between the two tacticians, like a hunter studying its prey.

"Just a pale imitation," she muttered, glaring at the imposter.

'It's good to see some things never change,' thought the Exalt.

In fact, continuing his observation of the other Shepherds it became apparent that everyone, including the short attention spanned Nowi, were watching the interaction of the two twins.

"Come on Robin. You can do this," he muttered, unsure of whether he was trying to support his friend or convince himself that things would turn out okay.

X-x-X-x-X

"What is it you want from me?" inquired Robin, finally deciding to cut to the heart of the matter.

"I want you to accept Grima's power and make it your own," deadpanned his future self.

"Wha- why? You saw firsthand what that resulted in with your own time!"

"Yes, I know. Alone, I was unable to overcome the dragon's will. But in the end, I was still able to ensure the survival of the human race. If you allow me to join with you, we can easily stand up to the corruption of Grima's power. Think of how much good you could accomplish with power like that at your disposal!"

Robin shook his head fiercely, refusing to accept such reasoning. "No. Nothing good can come from such evil. I plan to destroy the fell dragon so he can never again threaten this world."

"That is idealistically foolish and short sighted," retorted his counterpart. "You realize that doing so would result in your death, correct?"

He nodded in affirmation. Such was a small price to pay.

"So you would abandon your friends? You would leave her alone?" he inquired, pointing behind the original tactician of this time period.

The young man, whose hair was the color of snow, turned to glance back at his friends. All of their eyes were on him, but only one pair caught his attention. A pair of sapphire orbs. Their eyes met, but he could not bring himself to hold her gaze for long. Even _considering_ the option offered by his counterpart felt like he was betraying her.

"What do you mean?" he asked, curious to at least hear the logic behind such a question.

"What if you were to destroy Grima, giving your life in the process? What guarantee do you have that with time, he won't simply reform?"

It seemed a legitimate enough question. "Lady Naga-"

"Isn't a goddess, and she is far from infallible," sniped his future self. "How does she know that such a tactic will work? This has never been attempted before. How does she know that this won't simply result in your death?"

He had no response. He was right about that. It had never been done before, so who was to say that it would work?

"Let's suppose for a minute that sacrificing yourself _does _kill Grima permanently. Are you really so foolish as to think that everything will simply calm down and result in everlasting peace?" inquired the hierophant, pushing forward with the point he was trying to make. "All you'd be doing in ensuring Ylisse's downfall."

"How do you figure?" questioned Robin. "No one is in a position to go to war at this point. With the threat of the Risen at the doors of every country, and after the wars we only recently finished fighting, no country has the power to engage in a long term war currently."

"Ah," retorted his other half, raising a finger to halt his response. "_Currently. _No country is more exhausted of men and resources than Ylisse at the moment. Even with time they won't be able to replenish these things faster than their neighbors, both local and distant. All it would take is another madman on Plegia's throne and the fires of war would be ignited once more."

He stopped to take a momentary breath, before he began pacing. "Look at your present company. Do you honestly expect that the Conqueror won't revert to his former ways and rise to power once more, seeking to conquer this world?"

Robin glanced over his shoulder once more to look at the imposing figure of Walhart.

"War is in his blood. It's who he _is_. It would be so simple for him to once more take up his mantle. And without you and your tactics standing by them, Ylisse would be annihilated."

"Chrom defeated him three times in combat. He could do so again without my help," Robin reasoned.

"Yes, Chrom defeated the _man, _but it was not he who defeated his vast _armies_. That was _your _doing. Your tactics are the reason that Ylisse has emerged victorious time and time again. But what if you were suddenly gone from the picture? What chance would Ylisse and its allies stand against such a foe?" inquired the hierophant once more.

"But think if you were to take the fell dragon's power for your own. Ylisse's safety would be guaranteed for all of time. With such power, you could prevent _all _future war, between _any _country."

"Through fear," muttered Robin, the very idea unsavory to him. "Peace through fear and threat of power isn't true peace."

"But it saves lives, doesn't it?" retorted his alternate self. "Even if it's through fear, think of the number of families that wouldn't be torn apart, the innocents that wouldn't be forced into conscription, or put to the blade for no reason other than a madman's whims!"

The amnesiac found himself remembering the Plegian General Mustafa. The general and all the men under him had been forced to fight under pain having their families executed, by the decree of Gangrel. Such an injustice was unforgivable…

His counterpart extended an open hand to him. "Please. If we join together, we can end the threat of Grima and bring peace to this world once and for all."

The road to hell was paved with good intentions. Robin had found that such a saying had never been truer than in this moment…

He glanced back at his friends once more, each with varying emotions flickering across their visages. Some were shouting at him, though he could not make out the words. Others merely offered forlorn looks. He dared not look at Lucina or Morgan. His resolve had begun to wither away enough as it was…

The tactician turned once more to face his alternate self, whose hand was still offered to him. A smile graced the time traveler's face.

**Do you accept his offer and join with him?**

**YES / NO**

* * *

Draknal: And that's that. I've played through Fire Emblem: Awakening and I simply love it. This thought had been on my mind for a while. Don't worry, yes I realize the avatar from the future was in fact Grima in the avatar's body. Who's to say that this avatar isn't simply a very good actor attempting to lure Robin in with sweet words and false information? Only the author knows that!

This could have been longer, but I just wanted to get the basic idea out of the way. It wasn't meant to be a complex project. If there's spelling/grammar errors then I apologize. It's late, and I'm tired. Yeah, I know, no excuse.


End file.
